Job seekers receiving benefits in Flanders can now be sanctioned for missing both digital and physical meetings, as most follow-up appointments are now done via telephone or video calls.
As a result of the coronavirus crisis, Flemish employment service VDAB has fewer physical checkups with job seekers on benefits in the regions. Previously, it could not sanction people who didn't turn up for digital meetings, however, the government will soon provide a legal basis to guarantee close follow-up for all types of meetings.
"Because of the coronavirus measures, we had to switch quickly to appointments by phone or video calls. In the meantime, this has become a useful addition to the meetings that can once again take place at our locations," Wim Adriaens, delegated director VDAB, said.
"What is important is that we can take appropriate action via any means of contact if the job-seeker does not show up. Until now, the regulations did not allow us to sanction, if necessary, failure to show up for an appointment by telephone or video call. Soon, new regulations will give us the framework to do so," he added.
Missing meetings, losing benefits
Flemish Employment Minister Hilde Crevits said in parliament on Thursday that in 2021, 23,929 jobseekers received a sanction or warning notice from the VDAB. In 10,358 cases, this resulted in jobseekers temporarily or permanently losing their benefits or part of it, around the same number as in the previous year.
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The number of sanctions in relation to the number of job seekers increases slightly from 14 to 15% due to a decrease in the number of jobseekers, while the number of transmissions — files that are passed on for inspection — increased by 26% from 17,539 transmission files in 2020 to 22,202 in 2021.
Crevits stressed the importance of close follow-up of job-seekers, "especially in a tight labour market where every employer is short of hands."
